National Education Reform (NER) 2025: Forum Discussion with Youths

A glimpse of the headlines reflects the dire state of Malaysia's current education system: ‘Malaysia's PISA Scores and STEM Education falling behind Vietnam’. The announcement of the PISA score back in 2022 displayed a global learning loss brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including Malaysia. According to a news article by The Star, Malaysia’s PISA score dropped 6.26%, from 431 in 2018 to 404 in 2022, further falling behind Singapore, which remains at the top position in ASEAN. The emergence of such results cites the urgent need for educational reform.

PISA Results 2022 (Image Source: Penang Institute)

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to attend a hybrid forum discussion that gathered youths’ inputs on our nation’s educational reform at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, located in MATRADE Centre. The output of the study was to develop a National Education Reform Framework towards a more adaptable, relevant, and responsive education ecosystem by identifying key measures to build critically competent learners and educators to be incorporated into the government’s planning of the next Five-Year Malaysia plan. By conducting this study with various stakeholders, from youths and teachers to industry leaders and CSOs in the education sector, the study group would provide recommendations for government allocation and investment planning for the development of education infrastructure.

The forum kickstarted with an introduction highlighting the importance of a national education reform. A national education reform is crucial to adapt to current and future disruptions, elevate the country’s global education standards and reputation as well as address gaps and access to quality education.

The ultimate goal of this reform is to nurture a humanity-centric, curious, future-ready, entrepreneurial, adaptive, and self-determined individual who cultivates a values-based knowledge economy that is planet-friendly.

While the aspirations and dreams do sound inspiring, the actions taken are more significant than the words spoken to revert the direction of our nation’s education system towards our goal.

The session then eased into the main event: the discussion. Six working groups, which consisted of  teams working on different aspects of the educational reform, listed a few indispensable questions for the participants to answer verbally, while the others answered virtually through a Padlet link. The inputs would then be taken into consideration when drafting the educational reform framework. The discussions covered various aspects of education, highlighting key challenges and potential improvements. 

During the forum discussion, participants raised a crucial issue that underlies our current education system: the prioritisation of grades over practical knowledge. In order to provide a holistic learning experience for students, participants advocated for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge and stronger industry-academia collaboration. Through workshops and short-term internships, students would then be well-prepared to tackle real-life problems by applying the knowledge they have learned.

Participants also pointed out the essential role of teachers, stating that those who believe in their students and show empathy have the most impact on the students they nurture. In order to support educators, participants suggested reducing administrative work and providing pedagogical training for all teachers. In terms of subjects, participants recommended the inclusion of financial literacy, promotion of reading culture, as well as for a balanced curriculum, which includes 75% national and 25% elective curriculum. This could allow for regional customization and student engagement. 

The discussion also received several inputs regarding alternative learning and budget allocation. For instance, a homeschooled participant voiced out the challenges of alternative learning methods such as homeschooling, which includes lack of regulation and equal opportunities. In terms of budget discussions, participants emphasised the need for better teacher training, mandatory preschools focused on exploration, and support for mobile community schools. They also noted that enhancing educational accessibility requires recognizing and supporting teachers in rural areas. Overall, the discussions underscored the importance of balancing national educational goals with individual learning needs and aspirations. 

As an ordinary student who came from an SJKC, SMJK, and later on Matriculation background, I never realised that I can be a small part of contributing to the reformation of our nation’s education system in the future but through this session, I further understand that every single one of us, no matter the educational background, age or economic status, has a say in determining the direction of our education system, not only to bring forward the challenges and problems we faced after being part of the system, but also to ensure that the same mistakes or pullbacks are avoided for the future generations to come.

By, Phi Yi Xian,

Journalist,

Charisma Movement 24/25. About Author

Phi is an electrical engineering student passionate about sustainability, innovation, and volunteering to drive impactful environmental and community initiatives.